St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-05
FELT I'm CANADA.
How the Interstate Law Affects
Our Trade with the Dominion.

How the Interstate Law Affects
Our Trade With the Dominion.
WASHINGTON, May 4.-The United
States commercial agent at London. Ont,
writing Oh the effects of the interstate law
between the United States and Canada, says:
The result OF the act has been most damag-
ing to us both, us regards exports and i'm
ports, and is severely felt by the buyers and
sellers to and from the United States. The
records OF this Office for the month of April
show less activity and fewer exports than
ever before for the same PERIOD and the
same, believe, to be true throughout Can
ada. in fact for week after the bill took
effect business was ut q dead standstill, and
is at present confined almost exclusively to
points like Buffalo and Detroit, which are I'M
medlatey across the line and require no haul
over American railways. The Canadian rail-
ways cannot yet give through rate over
their own and connecting American lines,
and shippers are consequently unwilling to
let the goods go to the frontier, not knowing
what the further delivery to an inland or sea-
board point will cost. This, however, is by
no means the worst feature OF the case, as
the Importance of receiving Canada exports
is lost when compared with the damage done
our import trade into Canada. AS l showef
in my annual report. we last year lost SOM
10 per cent. of our advantages over England
in this market, and where competition is SO
keen, and freghts from England and New
York so near the same, and in this, the busy
season OF selling goods, we give the
Englishman great advantage over us by his
being able to name the exact rate of freight
while the American salesman in The present
chaotic condition of railway tariffs cannot say
whether the rate on his goods will be 81 or So
per 1G0 pounds. settlement must shortly
be arrived at, or our commerce will receive
such damage that it will take years to regain
the lost trade and the prestige which we now
enjoy in this country. To exemplify: A case
has just come under my notice of a Canadian
merchant who tried to make purchase of
California goods amounting to about $4,000,
but had to give it up on account of the
inability of the American railways to give him
freight rate and consequently purchased
elsewhere. and in some cases where ship
mentS have gone out the rates have been
so much higher then before the passage of
the bill that they have absorbed all profit and
discouraged shippers from repeating their
cousignments. The increase has been 20 to
100 per cent. above the old rates. which is a
bad condition of affairs while prices remain
the same. This is also true as regards Amer
lean goods coming into Canada, and rates are
so high and irregular that merchants here are
grumblihg and will lind other places to pur-
chase if the evil is not corrected. There are
now lying here thirty carloads of a single
commodity waiting rates over United States
railways, which will probably be so high that
it will be impossible to export it. l submit
the above facts withou. comment rs to
remedy. But they are bare facts and one for
which relief should be found at once. have
the honor, ETC.,
WILLIAM D. H. WASHING TON.